H5N1 Strikes More Poultry Flocks in 3 States

Feb 06, 2025

By Lisa Schnirring

Federal officials today confirmed more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry in three states, with commercial farms in Missouri especially hard hit.

According to the latest updates from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the virus was confirmed at five farms in Missouri, all of them commercial facilities.

Affected premises include a layer farm in Newton County that has nearly 1.15 million birds. Other producers include a turkey farm in Newton County, a broiler breeder farm in McDonald County, and three turkey farms in three different counties.

Over the past 30 days, the virus has led to the loss of nearly 4.3 million poultry in Missouri.

Outbreaks in California, Oregon

In other poultry developments, APHIS confirmed the virus on a commercial turkey farm in California's San Joaquin County that has 22,200 birds and in a backyard flock of 8 birds in Oregon's Klamath County.

APHIS testing also confirmed H5N1 in one more dairy cow herd, another in California, raising the national total to 957 and California's total to 736.

Source : umn.edu

Video: FLEECED! Sheep Shearer Hands Over Clippers!

It's sheep shearing day at Ewetopia Farms! ?? Our Dorset lambs and ewes are getting fleeced — and for the first time, our shearer hands over his clippers to a beginner. We finish shearing the last of our adult ewes and this year’s Dorset ewe lambs.

From moving the sheep between barns, loading them into chutes, and watching the wool come off, this is always one of the most satisfying days on the farm. But this video has a twist — we welcomed a new helper, Gian, who’s not only lending a hand but also learning how to shear! With guidance from our experienced shearer, he got a crash course in sheep shearing and even tried his hand at shearing a couple of lambs himself.

You’ll see firsthand how both teacher and student handled this unique challenge. Shearing is more than just removing wool — it’s about sheep health, comfort, and giving us a closer look at the flock. It’s always amazing to see the transformation from woolly sheep to freshly shorn ewes and lambs.